[vox-tech] Urgent news: Linux may be relicensed

[Bob Scofield]

On Friday 01 April 2005 07:32, Peter Jay Salzman wrote:
> Urgent breaking news:
>
> I can hardly believe it!   CNN is reporting that Linus Torvalds is
> considering re-licensing Linux under a closed-source license.  There's a
> huge argument on the Linux Kernel Mailing List right now over the move and
> many developers have been jumping ship.
>
> Linus claims the move to make Linux proprietary stems from differences in
> open source philosophy between the majority of Linux kernel hackers and
> GNU's upcoming version 3 of the General Public License.
>
> This is AWFUL news!!!
>
> I guess we might all have to start installing *BSD pretty soon!   :-(
>

I can't find anything about this on the CNN website.  And judging from the two 
replies to this message I don't know if this is serious.  But as the least 
informed person on this list about software, I have some questions.

1)  Free BSD is not going to be a satisfactory solution, right?  Isn't FreeBSD 
a rather hierarchally based system?  You wouldn't have the community based 
involvement with Free BSD that you have in Linux, would you?  And isn't Open 
BSD run by a near madman?

2)  What about this "forking" that people talk about?  If Linus makes Linux 
closed source, why can't the community continue to develop the existing 
kernels?  

3)  At this point in time, what right does Linus Torvalds have to close source 
Linux?  Does he own the kernel?

4)  What is HURD?  Is it a potential alternative?

5)  What is the *argument* on the Linux Kernel Mailing list about, really?  
None of these people can be supporting this move, can they?

Bob